Arizona weekly citizen., 1887-07-09
CRUELTY OF THE pEaslANs
All sorts of wiekedness Concealed Undss
 c Thin Veneer of Hospitality.

c Thin Veneer of Hospitality.
 Under . thin veneer of good nature, hospitality and politen .ss the modern Per sian conceals every one of the seven dead- ly sins. It is a significant fact that no words corresponding to our love, grat- tude, virtue, honor, patriotism, conscience or penitence exists in his language. The words serving as substitutes have alto gether different meanings. "Takewah" means piety or rather observance of the ritualistic laws; "hunneri' means not honor but smartness and cunning; "nemeh haelaln and "nemeki haeram" Literally, good salt and lad salt) only refers to the rules of hospitality; 'peshi- mani' is not penitence but grief at the non success of an enterprise, and ''ishk' is not love but the only feeling tho Per sian knows under that name.
 Like most towards the Persian is fond of inficting pain where he may do so safely. Cruelty seems inborn with him. l have seen little children of both sexes stoning 8 poor cur to death and literally hacking miserable cat to pieces just for the fun of the thing, and without any in- terference from, often even with the active cooperation of, the parent. @AO 0Se~A Pc1aAAy A5 AoaaAAy with a view of making the culpri1 undergo the most horrible tortures and of ahording a welcome sight to the cauous populace.
 On the Koop Kapu in Teheran, the square in the heart of the city where ths executions usually take place, a half score of delinquents are often placed on the raised platform surmounted by pole ~-l |. IA | nr.1i sight of the rabble they have their throats cut, their hearts torn out, their ears and noses slit, their tongues pulled out, their eyes scared, or boiling pitch poured over their naked bodies-to everybOdy's great delight except that of the parties directly concerned Along the highways one meets, stuck in the ground, short, hollow pillars with the Opper opening closed with gypsum. Each of these contains a man, a condemned criminal walled up alive. Faint groans may often be heard by pas. sersby, for this mode of death is slow and
 very painful, but nobody thinks it worth his while to hberaie the poor wretch or to terminate his sufferings by 6 merciful blow. "Kismetr' they say, 'such is fater' Very much depends at executions upon the hangmnn. A bribe to him or | the guarantee that qualification will be paid him by the friends of the condemned man after his death always insure a more
 or less speedy death and decrease of the
 tortures otherwise inflicted.
 But woe to the poor delinquent wh< either has no more means left to buy the good offices of the executioner or else chooses to make over his last few tomahS
 10 his family-he will surely rue it in Gis last hour and made to suffer twice e
 acutely as would otherwise be the case. There were, for instance, four criminals hanged up by their feet and nailed to the boards outside the gates of Teheran less than a year ago who could be seen there slowly dying for thirty six hours A well spent bribe to the executioner would have shortened their troubles, and it remained finally for one of the diplomatic corps to bestow a few kraus tO have these unlucky mAlefactors put cut of their misery. The average Persian will look entirely un- moved on q spectacle of human suffering.
 There is no chord in his nature to respond to an appeal for mercy. Money alone
 will induce him 10 take compassion on another mans pain.-WOlf von Schier- brand in New York Graphic.